A Waking Dream
by MustBeLove99
Summary: Sometimes, dreams can reveal more than we care to admit, whilst we should never underestimate the impact of things done in the past
1. Dream Walking

_This takes place pre-season 4 and is just my attempt at exploring some of the ideas both raised and not raised in season 3. _

A thick fog slowly rolled in amongst the stone grey pillars that seemingly stretched endlessly above the grey clouds that hung low overhead. An eerie silence hung over the empty ruins, a silence that was broken only by the occasional droplet of water causing a splash that would then echo loudly in the eerie landscape.

Taking in a deep breath, Arthur stood motionless in between the looming pillars, silently watching the dark figure that stood opposite him, quiet and unmoving. For a while, nothing happened, as the two figures wordlessly contemplated each other, their gazes never wavering, blue eyes on brown, unblinking and unchanging.

Finally, Arthur broke the silence with the question that had long been bothering him, "why did you do it?"

"Do you really need to ask?" came the scoffing reply.

"Yes," he answered simply, his desire to understand outweighing all other instincts for self-preservation as he stood there; watching his half-sister as she too, intently weighed him up in the fog.

Finally, after considering him thoughtfully whilst she turned over her own thoughts, Morgana took a step forward, and narrowed her eyes dangerously as she addressed her brother, "I did it, because I believed that Uther's persecution of my kind had gone on for long enough," she spat out angrily, venom rising in her voice, "a stance I still firmly believe in," she added, tilting her head upwards to look down at Arthur.

"I would have protected you," he said simply in response, his calm exterior seemingly unaffected by the angry stance of the figure opposite him.

"Would you of?" came the laughed response as Morgana took a step closer and closer to her brother as she began to circle him in a predatory fashion.

"Yes" was the confident response she received as Arthur continued to stand unmoving as Morgana slowly came to a stop behind him, thoughtfully looking him up and down. "You doubt my words?" he continued, dropping his head slightly to look at her dark figure out of the corner of his eyes.

"Yes" she responded simply, mirroring his earlier confident response, "I do doubt them," she added sinisterly, stepping up right behind him to whisper her message in his ear before striding past him.

"After all, you never could lie to me," she tossed back at him arrogantly, flicking her dark brown hair over her shoulder as she turned to face him. "I know you too well," she added in as an afterthought, eyebrows raised smugly as she looked him up and down.

"If you know me so well," Arthur began softly after a moment's hesitation, "then you should have known that you could've come to me," he finished angrily, his calm exterior diminishing as rage started to radiate off him. "You should have known that I would've protected you!" he finished, shouting out the words as his fists clenched in anger as his breathing intensified whilst he stared angrily at her, the agonizing hurt over her betrayal clear in the tense stance of his body.

"And how many times must I tell you that I could not have," Morgan responded with the same amount of venom in her voice as she stepped closer to her brother to stare him squarely in the eyes.

For a moment, neither moved, locked in a battle of wills and angry bodies, they stared defiantly at one another, their bodies radiating heat off of each other. Finally, Arthur broke the silence in a deadly, low voice.

"If that is what you believe," he whispered dangerously, dropping his head slightly to further look down at her, "then clearly, you don't know me at all," he finished before taking a step back and running his gaze disapprovingly up and down the long black dress that clothed her slender body.

Scoffing at his words and feeling his piercing gaze on her body, Morgana narrowed her eyes and struck her hand out to grab Arthur's chin by her fingertips. "If I didn't know you," she began sinisterly, her grip on his chin tightening with each word, "then how did I know that you would come back for me at Cenred's castle?" she asked, taking pleasure in the lost look that crossed his face, a look that brought a smug smile to her face and fuelled her next words as she pulled his chin closer to hers, "in fact, how do you think Cenred knew who to kidnap in order to draw you into his lair?" she finished, releasing his chin as she stepped back, taking further pleasure as Arthur stood in front of her, lost for words whilst his thoughts spun wildly as more details of the truth he had tried so hard to ignore sprang to the front of his mind.

"It hurts doesn't it," Morgana finally said, still revelling in Arthur's silence, "to have to acknowledge the truth about how one's so called family, could betray you so easily".

"I would not have turned you over," came the weak response as Arthur still scrambled to regain his conmpsure as he turned away from her slightly as if to shield himself from her words.

Opening her mouth in a wide smile, Morgana huffed as she took in her brother's defeated stance, "even now, you still stand by your lies," she said spitefully, tilting her head to the side before walking slowly over to him, "and if you cannot believe them," she whispered slowly, savouring each word as she saw the affect it had on him, "then how am I supposed to," she finished smugly before giving him a small smirk and taking a few steps backwards as he turned his head to look at her with sad eyes.

"Why?" he asked finally in a small voice, pain and hurt still evident in his eyes as he stared at her imploringly, begging her to lie, to not say the words she knew would hurt him the most, "why didn't you come to me?"

"Because you are your father's son," Morgana said, a look of disdain crossing her features as she turned to look away and instead stared into the gloom of the surrounding fog. "And you would never have chosen me over him".

"That's not true," he responded in a small voice, his body turning slightly from hers.

"Isn't it?"

For a while, neither of the half-siblings said anything as they both stared forlornly into their dank surroundings, their thoughts consuming them in the light of words that had, for a time, been kept locked away, neither willing to acknowledge their existence. Over and over in his head, Arthur pondered her words which rang consistently, reverberating back and forth in his head like a pounding headache. Would he have turned her in, would he really have given her over as easily as she suggested? Surely not, he reasoned with himself, all those times, he had chosen her over his father, the boy, freeing her from that cell…

"I did choose you," Arthur finally whispered softly, keeping his eyes fixated on a pillar half shrouded in mist, "I chose you when I helped you free that druid boy," he began, turning to look at Morgana as his voice started to build up, "I chose you when I freed you from that dungeon, when I went after the cure for Merlin because you asked me to!" he finished angrily, spitting the words out as he stared her down across the misty courtyard. "All our years together," he continued in a dangerous voice of his own, his eyes firmly pinning her down, "did they count for anything?"

"If our so-called years together had counted for something," Morgana finally countered, her eyes never wavering from Arthur's, "then why did I feel so alone, why did I feel like there was no-one in Camelot who could possibly hope to help, or even better, understand me" she finished venomously, spitting out the words as much of the anger, hurt and resentment she had felt during her years at Camelot came rushing to the surface.

The long held secret that had driven her to the point of despair and that had been the cause of so much pain and suffering filled the gloomy space between the two siblings as they stared at each other, one in hurt and anguish, and the other, in guilty recognition. For a while, no word was spoken as the two continued to stare at each other, Morgana, locked in an angry silence as she silently berated herself for revealing so much of her innermost thoughts to Arthur, whilst Arthur stood there, despondently piecing together the pieces of Morgana's actions over the last year.

"I did not know," Arthur finally said, filling the empty silence that hung between them, his eyes gently taking in Morgana as she continued to stand there, still locked in her internal bereavement.

"Tell me brother," Morgana eventually responded, her voice low and deep as she took a step towards him, "can you imagine, what it was like for me to have to live in Camelot, knowing that I was different, knowing, that the people who professed to love me, would have turned on me the instant, they found out that I had magic?"

Taking her in carefully, Arthur pondered his next words. A part of him, wanted to point out to her that her past actions, her use of magic and its evil nature, would have warranted such a response. Yet another part of him, remembered the Morgana that he had grown up with, the Morgana he had loved as a child. That part of him that he tried to deny, to cover up and pretend didn't still exist, wanted instead to protect her and remind her of their time spent growing up, of the familiarity with which they had once known each other, to pull her in and beg her for forgiveness for having been so far away from her during her hour of need.

Unable to face her piercing gaze any longer as she waited for his response, Arthur turned away and stared silently into the foggy distance, his mind clouded in much the same way as his present surroundings.

Smiling triumphantly for a moment, Morgana took his lack of response as validation of her point, until she took in the sight of his defeated stance, and the troubled lines of his shoulder, and recognised his internal signs of debate whilst simultaneously realising the effect her words had had on him. Watching him for a moment, Morgana considered rubbing her point in his face, knowing that at the present moment, he would be unable to respond, and yet, she found herself unable to do so. Emotionally tired from their argument, she consented to watch him, whilst she internally continued to bring her emotions that had been released at the same time she revealed to him her hurt from all her years spent at Camelot, back into the corner of her mind where she kept them locked up. Frowning for a moment, she pushed down angrily at the surge of emotion that defiantly rose up as she momentarily thought back to her happier times at Camelot before Morgause, and then angrily reminded herself how alone and scared she had felt the entire time, and used those emotions to remind herself of her hatred towards Arthur and his father.

"Where are we?" Arthur's quiet question startled Morgana, and she blinked rapidly to clear her thoughts and turn them back onto Arthur who stood facing away from her.

"Does it matter?" she responded loudly, her voice clear of an feeling as she stood tall in an attempt to hide her earlier internal confusion.

"Well how am I supposed to get back?" Arthur replied in a similar, emotionless voice, completely devoid of its usual arrogance and sarcasm as he turned around to look at Morgana.

"You wake up," came the simple response as Morgana turned around and started to walk away from him and deeper into the gloomy ruins, her dark figure slowly disappearing into the fog.

"Wake up, wait what?" Arthur responded confusedly, starting to turn around in a circle to try and see if anything in the dark gloom could offer any further explanation. Finishing his turn, he looked back to where Morgana had previously stood, only to discover that she had vanished. Setting off in a fast sprint, he headed off in the direction she had been heading, desperately calling out her name.

"Morgana?" he yelled out, stopping to catch his breath as he realised she was long gone.

"How do I get out?" he shouted again into the fog, a small sliver of panic setting over him as he turned around erratically, trying to gain his bearings as a thick darkness started to creep over the ruins, slowly hiding any trace of light.

"How do I get out?" he shouted again despairingly into the growing darkness.

"Through the door?" came Merlin's confused response.

"Merlin?"

"Arthur?"

"What are you doing here" Arthur demanded, looking around in the dark for his servant.

"Waking you up," Merlin responded, throwing open the heavy curtains, allowing a bright beam of morning sun to shoot in and flood Arthur's chambers with a warm, orange light.

In response to the sudden burst of light, Arthur groaned and shot his hands up in front of his face to shield his eyes. "Wait," he said confusedly, his brain still groggy from sleep, "how did I get here?"

"Well," Merlin started, coming over to stand in front of Arthur, "first, you flew in through the window over there," he paused, gesturing at the window he had just opened, "and then, you floated in and landed lightly on the bed to rest yonder head," he finished, beaming down at his master.

"Very funny Merlin," Arthur responded glumly, the magical reference striking a little too close to home. Sighing Arthur ran his hands through his hair and collapsed back onto his bed, replaying the vivid dream in his head.

"Merlin" he finally said, still laying stretched out on his bed, "do you think it possible, that, perhaps, when one is dreaming, certain, _things_ might occur, and this is your minds way of trying to tell you something?" he asked in a slow voice before continuing, "or perhaps, when you are dreaming, your mind goes to places," he paused again, before taking a deep breath and continuing on carefully, "or _people_ that you otherwise might avoid thinking about when awake," he finished, not moving from his position on the bed, his thoughts turning over in his head as he replayed the final moments of his conversation with Morgana.

"Well, I don't know much about the mind," Merlin began.

"Obviously," came the curt response.

"But I suppose it possibly that if something were troubling you, than dreaming about it might be the mind's way of coping," Merlin finished proudly, rather happy with his response.

"Merlin that is absolutely ridiculous," Arthur shouted out defensively, sitting bolt right up in his bed, "why on earth would anything be troubling me?" he added, turning to face his manservant angrily. "I mean really Merlin, the things you come up with!"

"I'm sorry?" Merlin replied confused, unsure of where Arthur's outburst had come from.

Seeing his look of bewilderment, Arthur sighed again and got up, "never mind, I should never have asked you such an obviously mind-boggling question in the first place" he finished, walking past Merlin to his changing screen.

"Well come on then," he shouted out from behind the screen, sticking his head around to look for Merlin, "are you going to do your job and help me get ready or not?"

"Yes, sorry, of course," came the mumbled response as Merlin shook his head in confusion, silently accepting Arthur's strange antics.

"Honestly," Arthur replied in an annoyed voice from behind the screen, "sometimes I wonder what I pay you for".

"So do I," Merlin answered back in a small voice from the prince's wardrobe, "so do I".

"What was that?" Arthur demanded, his head popping back out from behind the screen.

"Nothing, nothing at all," was the quick response Merlin gave whilst he quickly fished out Arthur's clothes for the day.

"I thought so," Arthur replied with a raised eyebrow as he returned his head to behind the screen and continued to get ready.

(xx)

Taking a deep breath, Morgana held out a hand to the cool stone and steadied her erratic breathing as she simultaneously clutched a hand to her stomach and bent over, the events of the dream still burning brightly in her mind. Straightening up, she breathed in deeply through her nose, as she silently demanded of herself how such a thing could have happened.

"Morgana, is that you?"

Morgause's weak voice caught Morgana's attention and broke her train of thought. Angrily pushing all thoughts of Arthur and Camelot to the back of her mind, she hurried through the dripping stone tunnel that smelled of lime and wet stone, and entered into the unnaturally lit cave where Morgause rested wearily on a pile of animal furs on the floor.

Lifting her head as Morgana came in, Morgause weakly lifted her hands from her place on the makeshift bed and held them out to Morgana who gently grasped them as she knelt down in front of her.

"Sister, I was worried, I did not see you in my dreams," Morgause began in a raspy voice as she sorely attempted to sit up, the effort clearly straining her.

Keeping her eyes downcast, Morgana responded with a mumbled "it did not work," as she quickly moved to help her sister sit up, and then gently eased her back onto the stone behind her. Watching Morgana carefully, Morgause took her in, and sensed the words that Morgana was holding back.

"What happened," she asked after she had regained her breath, patting the furs beside her indicating for Morgana to sit as she took her in worriedly, "did the dream-walking work?"

Sitting down next to her, Morgana breathed in deeply as she placed her arm around Morgause's thin shoulders, not wanting to share her failure with her sister, and yet knowing that she had to. Taking another deep breath, Morgana steadied herself, and answered in a wavering voice, "the dream-walking worked, only, you were not the one I visited," she finally said, turning her gaze away from Morgause and instead looking around at their empty surroundings in the dirty cave.

"Who then did you see," Morgause encouraged quickly, watching her sister worriedly, fearing where she might have gone. "You know you can always tell me anything," she added gently as an afterthought as she concernedly took in Morgana's silence.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Morgan opened them, and turned to face Morgause as she responded, her voice heavy with confusion, "Arthur, I, I saw Arthur… why did I see Arthur?" she finished, her voice becoming demanding as anger towards herself grew, "I had absolutely no desire to see him and yet I did!" she finished, her shoulders trembling as she opened her mouth to continue, however a swift look from Morgause cut her off and she turned her head to look down into her lap, her arm around Morgause's thin shoulders tightening as she took comfort from her sister's presence.

Watching her carefully, Morgause weakly reached over and gave Morgana a small peck on her cheek as Morgana turned to look at her, her face a mix of annoyance, hurt and confusion. "Dream-walking is a difficult art to learn, and you have not been doing it for very long," Morgause began in a compassionate voice, shushing Morgana's protests as she continued, "and you and Arthur, like it or not, have a bond".

"But I don't have a bond with him anymore," Morgana interjected furiously, ignoring her sister's protests, "I feel nothing for him now except hatred!" she finished angrily, nostrils flaring as she fuelled her anger at what had happened to her sister towards those she held responsible.

"You and Arthur are half-brother and sister, you grew up together, those kinds of bonds cannot be ignored, no matter how you may feel about each other," Morgause said softly, ignoring Morgana's outburst as she carefully chose her next words before continuing, "if anything, I am not surprised that your mind found Arthur's, dream-walking is strongest when we are connecting with someone with whom we are familiar," she finished, pushing down her own concerns about Morgana's closeness with Arthur's mind and instead focused on soothing Morgana. "We will try again, and you will succeed, it just takes time and practice".

Looking at her sister, Morgana smiled softly, and swallowed her response about Arthur, instead deciding to please Morgause by pulling her in for a hug to convince her that she was no longer worrying her about her dream with Arthur, knowing that to do so, would only put further strain on her already fragile sister. Holding Morgause close, Morgana closed her eyes, and pushed Arthur out of her thoughts and instead turned her mind to other matters, namely, their next move, and how she would get Morgause ready for the battle that was to come.

_This is my first story so constructive criticism and any tips/hints/reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!_


	2. Forgotten Memories

_I've had this idea floating around in my head for a while and finally decided to write it out. This chapter takes place before 4x01, but the rest of the story should take place in line with season 4 until it reaches a point where I can't line up what's happening in the episodes and this story. On that note, the following chapters will most likely revolve around Morgana, mostly because I really want to explore her feelings and thoughts and tie them in with what happens in this chapter. _

_Enjoy :)_

Morgause sat wearily on the horse, her breath coming in long, ragged gasps as she attempted to control her breathing, it had been a hard, tiering journey made worse by her lack of time. Below her, the horse shifted impatiently, sniffing the air cautiously, sensing the large predator nearby. She had spelled the horse so that he would tread more carefully and give her as comfortable a ride as possible, but the use of magic, combined with her already weak state had meant that the effort had taxed her more than she would've liked.

'Nevertheless,' she thought bitterly, 'if all does not go as I hope, in the end, it would only serve to help Morgana that much more…" the thought left an odd taste in her mouth, and she pushed it away as she looked up at the craggy mountain side that stretched up above her, rocks and trees oddly jutting out, standing as still as sentries, guarding the deep valley that lay within.

Taking one final deep breath, she mentally prepared herself as she slowly dismounted from the horse. Gathering her thoughts for a moment, she made sure that the horse was properly secure, despite knowing that he wouldn't leave, all the while, constantly aware of the strong presence pressing down on her mind.

Slowly moving forward, she left the horse behind her, and made her way to a rocky tunnel carved out in the mountainside, its entrance partially hidden by trees and stringy vines that fell from above.

Tiredly pushing them aside, Morgause entered the dark tunnel that twisted away from her and ran deep underneath the mountain. Not bothering to use a spell to light her way, she stretched her hands out, and followed the cold rock through the deep darkness, forcing down any doubtful thoughts as she finally saw a dim light at the end of the tunnel.

Making her way blindly towards the light, she stumbled into the open out of breath, realising just how penetratingly cold it had been in the tunnel. Standing outside on the edge of a small grassy ledge, she paused for a moment, waiting for the bright spots of light to leave her vision, and taking a few extra moments to continue to prepare herself to face the massive creature she could sense no more than a few feet away.

"I must say Morgause, I did not expect to see you again," Kilgharrah's rumbling voice finally said, breaking through the silence and filling the large valley with the echoing role of his voice.

"And why is that?" Morgause finally responded, turning to face the large Dragon whilst mustering as much of her remaining strength that she could in an attempt to convey the strength of her position as a priestess of the Old Religion.

However to her dismay, her efforts did not have the desired effect, as in response to her straightened posture and weak show of strength, Kilgharrah simply laughed, managing to chuckle out in between teasing chortles, "even now, you attempt to hold on to that which is long gone".

Forcing herself to remain calm and composed, Morgause lifted her chin, and continued to stare defiantly at the dragon, waiting for him to finish mocking her before she would grace him with a response, she was not in the mood for games nor did she have the time, she reminded herself.

"I know what you did for my sister," she said in a flat voice when his rumbling chuckles had finally subsided.

"You do now?" came the coy response as Kilgharrah eyed her critically, "and pray tell, just what did I do for your _sister_?" he finished, his voice dropping lower as he placed emphasis on the last word whilst he shifted backwards to rest on his hind legs, all the while carefully watching Morgause.

"DO not play games with me dragon," Morgause responded, her voice laced with far more force and boldness than she thought she had left, "I know it was you who healed her when she lay dying, your magic runs through her veins, I can feel it!" she finished passionately, the words bringing strength to her fading bones as her hands clenched at her side, the old feel of powerful magic fuelled by emotions burning within her.

"And what of it?" Kilgharrah responded, his head dropping slightly as he took in the ever defiant Morgause.

Narrowing her eyes, Morgause glared daggers at him, he knew what she wanted, and normally, she would have taken the time to play his little game, but time was not something she had, and so once again, she swallowed her pride, unclenched her fists and forced herself to speak back to the dragon in the voice she had used for so many years in her role as a priestess, "I would ask that you do the same for me" she said, calmly letting the words flow from her mouth, whilst inside, she continued to fume at having to ask so early on.

At her words, the dragon threw back his head and let out a "ha, ha" as his body was once again wracked with laughter, completely unaware of Morgause's horrified reaction to the ancient dragon laughing in such a manner.

"Oh Morgause, you never fail to entertain me," he finally spluttered out, glee and delight still evident in his eyes.

"I take it this means you won't be helping me then," Morgause hissed back with what little remained of her dignity.

"And what made you think I would help you in the first place," Kilgharrah responded suddenly in a dangerous voice, dropping his head to bring it closer to her, the heat and anger from his body suddenly flaring and radiating outwards, enveloping Morgause in a blanket of warm air.

Refusing to let him see how much his sudden display of anger had unsettled her, Morgause forced herself to stand still and look him straight in the eye. "You helped my sister, why can you not do the same for me?" she demanded, keeping her voice level.

"You do not know the circumstances under which I helped your sister, and you are in no position now to demand the same of me," he responded, keeping his voice low and dangerous as he fixed her in a piercing gaze.

"Why did you help my sister?" Morgause replied, curiosity replacing anger in her voice as she quietly pondered the dragon's response, sensing now that there was something beneath the surface, something he wasn't telling her, there was more to why he had helped her sister than she knew he was willing to tell her.

"Once again Morgause, you are in no place to demand anything from me," the dragon answered back, continuing to stare her down, sending her a silent warning.

Furrowing her brow in confusion, Morgause took a step back as she continued to try and unravel just what it was the dragon was hiding. It was something big she could tell, and inwardly cursing, she knew it was unlikely that she would find out what it was that Kilgharrah was hiding from her.

"Why did you come here Morgause?" Kilgharrah finally asked, breaking the lengthy silence that had grown between the two of them.

"You already know why I came," Morgause replied, her voice tight as she broke out of her train of thought.

"I know that you did not come just to ask for my help, there is something more, there is always something more," the dragon responded sinisterly, his head lowering again to look down at Morgause.

Sucking in a deep breath, Morgause looked up at the dragon, and knew that he would not be the answer to her health problems. Pushing down the anger and bitter feelings that she felt at the realisation, she collected her thoughts, and moved on to another issue that had been troubling her.

"How did you do it?" she paused, letting the question sink in as she watched Kilgharrah carefully, still angry at his interference in her sister's life, and his determination to do nothing in hers, "how did you change the spell, so that Uther would reveal that Morgana to be his daughter?"

"And why do you think that I had anything to do with that?" Kilgharrah replied after a moment's hesitation, the question having obviously caught him off guard, a fact Morgause took great pleasure in as she realised he had not seen her question coming.

"Because you are one of the few people who actually knew about the spell, and once more, of those few people, you are the only one who would've had the power and knowledge to manipulate the spell," Morgause finished, shuffling back wearily to rest on the rock behind her as the momentary strength she had felt earlier from her emotionally charged surge of power left her body, and she was left weak and clinging to the rocks.

"It was not magic, nor any magical change to the spell, that caused Uther to be able to speak openly about Morgana," came the slow answer as Kilgharrah carefully watched Morgause whose face had paled considerably.

"Then how?" Morgause panted out, suddenly aware of how little time and strength she had left.

"Think carefully," came the patronizing response.

Glaring up at Kilgharrah, Morgause closed her eyes and took a moment to gather her thoughts about the spell. Opening them, she looked back up at the dragon, and went through her knowledge of the spell.

"It was cast so that Morgana would always be protected, whenever she was in danger, Uther would believe her to be his daughter so that he would do whatever it took to protect her. When the danger had passed, he would forget that he had ever cared about her in such a way, and he would not remember that he had believed himself to be her father," she said out loud, the words echoing faintly in the valley as wheels turned in Morgause's mind as she put the pieces of the information together, and felt the answer floating tantalizingly just beyond her reach.

Grunting softly in frustration, she squeezed her eyes shut, and pushed the thoughts around in her head, trying to figure out just how Uther had been able to refer to Morgana as his daughter.

"Think Morgause," came Kilgharrah's infuriating voice as he gave her more information, "when was it, that Uther revealed Morgana to be his daughter,"

"When she was dying," Morgause whispered quietly, the pieces clicking into place. "The spell changed when Morgana was poisoned, that's why Uther believes her to be his daughter all the time, because the conditions of the spell changed when Morgana was dead," Morgause finished triumphantly pushing herself up off her perch against the rocky wall.

"But wait," she said suddenly, turning around to look back at the dragon, "how did the boy know to kill my sister in the first place?" Morgause demanded, looking at Kilgharrah accusingly. "Who could have given him such information?"

"Information is always there for those who know how to find it," Kilgharrah replied mysteriously, moving back from Morgause as if in discomfort, "you simply have to know how to find it".

Cursing, Morgause watched him move away, there was always so much he was hiding from her and more often than not whenever she visited him, she always left with more questions to ask later than answers gained. However, this time was different, in the past, she had always left assured that no matter how long it would take, she would find the answers. Yet this time, she knew, that she did not have the luxury of time to find the answers to the questions she had learnt. Pieces of information whirred annoyingly through her head, biting at her conscious, taunting her with the fact that she would not be able to find the answers to new questions she only now sought.

Furthermore, she knew that she could not burden Morgana with such information; her sister already had enough to contend with. Her encounter with Arthur had left her rattled, and Morgause feared the connection that evidently still existed between them, fearing, that such a bond might cause cracks in Morgana's so carefully built up defences.

She had considered telling Morgana the truth, that Uther was not really her father, but after seeing her sister's concern and distraught at having encountered Arthur in her dreams, she knew she could not. She knew that Morgana would fight that much harder to claim the throne of Camelot with the belief that she held a legitimate claim to the throne. It did not matter if she wasn't the rightful heir, she had thought to herself after discovering that Morgana believed Uther to be her father. Magic deserved a place in Camelot, and Camelot deserved a ruler with magic as powerful as her sisters, and so, she had let the deception continue, her heart partially breaking for Morgana, who, for the good of their cause, had to believe that her father was Uther, and not Gorlois, the man who had so bravely defied Uther and covered up his own magic, placing a spell on the King so that his daughter would be safe from Uther's wrath. She would not undo all of their father's work for nothing.

As if sensing the path her thoughts had taken, the Great Dragon turned to face Morgause one last time.

"You could always use Morgana,"

"What?" Morgause replied, her voice instinctively becoming defensive at the mention of her sister.

"Morgana, you could always use her to help you," he responded again simply, watching Morgause out of the corner of his eye.

"My sister has already done much to help me, she has helped me more than you could possibly know," Morgause replied, her voice softening at the thought of her sister.

At her words, the dragon chuckled and replied sinisterly, "it is as you said Morgause, my magic runs through your sisters veins, if you so desperately wanted to heal yourself, why not use your sister?"

"I would never do such a thing!" Morgause answered horrified, immediately banishing the thought from her mind, she would never do such a thing to Morgana who loved her and relied on her so much.

"What makes you think that you haven't already?" Kilgharrah retorted cryptically, continuing to unnervingly watch Morgause from the corner of his eye as he watched the fury building in her weak body.

"I would be careful Morgause," he cautioned as crackling magic started to build around the ever-defiant figure standing in front of him, "you have very little time left, I would save your energy if I were you".

"I am done playing your games," Morgause spat out in response as she picked up her dress, spun around and stormed back into the tunnel with as much fury as she could muster in her weak state.

Throwing up the mental barriers in her mind, she put blocks into place to prevent Kilgharrah from reach her telepathically, but not before he sent one last thought into her mind, 'do not forget the event that caused the spell on Uther to change'.

"I would never, never use my sister in such a way," Morgause said furiously to herself as she stumbled into the sunlight, blinded by the mid-afternoon sun. Making her way over to where her mount stood waiting, she collapsed against the horse's warm hide, the events of the afternoon catching up to her as she stood wearily trying to catch her breath, all the while forbidding herself to dwell on Kilgharrah's last thought to her.

"He does not know what he has done," she whispered into the horse's thick mane as she sent a silent command to the beast to get onto its knees. Obediently complying, the horse lowered down to the ground where she awkwardly climbed into the saddle, and clung on tightly as the horse rose again to its legs and turned to leave.

"He thinks has won," she said angrily into the cool afternoon air as she rode through the empty forest, the sounds of the horses hooves muted by the thick carpet of leaves that she rode above.

"But he is wrong, he has no idea what is coming," she said viciously, her thoughts turning to the Isle of the Blessed where previously, the prospect of her death had frightened her, but now, mixed in with the knowledge of the revenge she would gain on Kilgharrah and the strength it would give Morgana, she found the courage and determination she knew she would need, to see the task through.

_So just in case this is one of those things where because it's my idea and I think it's really obvious but in reality it's not: Morgana IS Gorlois' daughter, he actually had magic (unknown to Uther of course) and he placed a spell on Uther so that if anything happened to him, Uther would look after Morgana, and if Morgana was in danger, Uther would believe her to be his daughter (but not be able to say so outloud) so that he would protect her and when the danger had passed, he would forget and simply see her as his ward. However, when Morgana died after Merlin poisoned her, the spell changed and Uther now constantly believes Morgana is his daughter. _

_I hope I haven't opened a massive can of worms here that no-one will appreciate and I'm not sure how this revelation will come out given Morgause's demise in 4x01 but I will eventually figure something out if I feel that it will contribute effectively to the story. _

_Any reviews, comments and constructive criticism is encouraged and greatly appreciated! _


	3. The Folly of Dreams

She had considered going to him, not to confront him, nor demand her place on the throne or anything like that. Rather, she had wanted to be with him. Uther's pain as he lay dying had cut through her like a knife, it had seared at her very soul, and perhaps, with Arthur, she would find some sense of comfort.

She had dreamt about it, about going and being with her brother, united by the loss of a father, not of Uther, but of a father.

But that had been a dream, and dreams were folly things.

Whilst she had convinced herself that her feelings were not because she felt anything for the man she had been forced to call her father, rather, it was because he reminded her of Gorlois, the man she would always consider to be her true father. Gorlois had raised her, taught her how to walk, how to talk and fight. He had comforted her when she cried and read her bedtime stories at night. She would never forget the last words that he had spoken to her as he rode off into battle, "you will be an instrument of great change," he had said in his familiar rough voice before he pulled her into a tight tug, stroking her hair and rubbing her back in the way that only he could.

The words still resonated within her today. She would be an instrument of change. As Morgause had told her; she would bring magic back into its rightful place in Camelot. All those fools who she had so graciously given the chance to follow her and yet had chosen not to, they would pay. They would pay for betraying her.

Just like Gwen.

Gwen.

And just like that, the truth dropped on Morgana like a burning splash of ice cold water. By causing Uther's death, Arthur would be named King, and that would mean he would be able to crown Gwen as his Queen.

For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of Morgana's laboured breathing as the consequences of her actions sunk in. Darkness surrounded her as she sat deadly still in her bed, her mind alive with thoughts.

The future that she had seen, the vision that she had tried so hard to prevent was now closer to reaching its fulfilment as a result of her actions.

The agony she had experienced over feeling so deeply the death of a man she had loathed was now added to by the knowledge that if she had not killed him, her rightful place as Queen of Camelot would at least have been secure for a time yet.

What had she done?

Angrily, she realised for a moment that her question had more than one meaning for her, and her grief and confusion over her feelings were further fuelled at a sudden bitterness at allowing herself to stop and feel such pain for Uther's passing when she had not been given that luxury with her own sister, the only person who had ever truly known her and loved her for who and what she was.

Her thoughts then turned towards Agravaine, he was the reason Morgause had started to teach her how to dream walk. However with Morgause's death, she had stopped trying. Whilst she had acknowledged the usefulness of such an ability at the time, she now had no desire to wander blindly into the dreams of that man; her own dreams were troubling enough as they were.

Emrys, his name haunted her on a regular basis.

The unknown sorcerer was a constant presence on her conscious, both in her dreams and when she woke. He gave her no peace. Her dream, or rather, the vision that she had had, of Emrys, of him towering over as she lay on a battlefield of blood, had both shocked and surprised her.

She had always imagined that if there was to be any battle such as that, it would come down to her and Arthur, the two siblings, locked in a battle of wills for the throne. And, as much as she hated to admit it, the outcome of that particular version of the future that she had for once imagined rather than foresaw, was an outcome she could not predict.

Whilst she was confident that Arthur, if it somehow came down to it, was placed in the position where he might have the opportunity to strike her down, she was positive he would not. She remained assured that he still had a soft spot for her and would not be able to mortally wound her if given the chance. What would happen after that however, she had no idea, and that was what troubled her.

And yet, it would seem that that particular future would no longer occur, not with the presence of Emrys hanging over her every move.

How was it that he was able to affect her so?

Lying back down, her breathing slowed, she attempted to distinguish the familiar pattern of wood and leaves that ran across the beams of the roof up above. Unable to do so, she closed her eyes, and willed herself back to sleep, praying that her healing bracelet would grant her at least one night free of troubling dreams and haunting visions of the future.

In her heart, she knew she would not be so lucky.

(xx) 

Merlin and Gaius sat quietly eating their supper, the events of the last few days weighing heavily around them.

Keeping his eyes downcast, Merlin focused firmly on the runny stew in front of him, doing his best to avoid Gaius' watchful gaze. Uther's death still haunted him, and regardless of Morgana's involvement, it had still been his magic that caused Uther to die and Arthur to harden his heart against all magic. Arthur being crowned King no longer held the same level of hope had had had for magic, yet a small part of him still clung firmly to the belief that one day, Arthur would see reason.

But that day was now even further away.

"Merlin," Gaius' prodding voice broke through the hollow silence, and Merlin could sense the questioning in his voice.

"What kind of stew is this?" he asked casually, trying to forestall the inevitable as long as possible. Despite the endless flow of thoughts in his mind that constantly reminded him of what had happened, he had no desire just yet to voice his thoughts, and so ignored the little voice of reason at the back of his mind that kept prodding him to talk to Gaius, telling him that it would help.

"I want to talk to you about Agravaine".

The direct and unexpected question caused Merlin to drop his spoon loudly into his bowl of stew resulting in a loud slop as his head snapped up to look at Gaius, the unexpected question grabbing his attention.

"What about him?" Merlin asked curiously, picking his spoon out of the bowl as he started playing with his food.

"If he is in league with Morgana," Gaius began carefully, aware that mentioning the sorceress reminded Merlin of less pleasant matters and so resolved himself to be as delicate as possible about those feelings as he continued tactfully, "then we need to find some way to emotionally remove Arthur from his uncle's influence as much as possible," he finished, watching Merlin cautiously, waiting to gage his reaction.

"Well I agree," Merlin responded quickly, his eyes brightening up at the prospect of something to keep his mind occupied. "We can't allow Agravaine to have such a strong influence over Arthur, especially if he doesn't have Arthur and Camelot's best interests at heart".

"That's not the only reason though," Gaius responded slowly, gently placing his spoon on the bench as he gazed over at Merlin, "whilst Arthur was not as broken by Morgana's betrayal as Uther was, it still cut him deeply. To have another person so close to him do the same, I fear the effect it would have on him, especially after his father's death," Gaius finished, painfully aware that Arthur's situation with Agravaine mirrored Merlin's own, regardless of how different those reasons for deception were.

Quiet for a moment, Merlin looked back down at his soup as the weight of Gaius' words sunk down around him. "Yes you're right," he said suddenly, quickly looking back up, refusing to think about his own situation with Arthur. "What are we going to do about it?" he added as an afterthought, the question directed at Gauis as he attempted to bring his inner conflict under control so that he could focus on Arthur.

"I don't know yet," Gaius responded enthusiastically, aware that he would have to confront Merlin eventually about Uther. Yet the time was not now and he knew he had to keep Merlin busy, his thoughts occupied with other matters until the boy was ready to come to him.

"Well we'll have to come up with something soon," Merlin filled in, his eyebrows furrowing slightly at Gaius' lack of response, "Arthur's going to be more dependent than ever on his counsel now that he's King".

"Then it would seem that once again, we have a problem," Gaius finished ominously, his early pleasure at Merlin's display of perkiness now overshadowed by a renewed sense of dread.


	4. Seeds of Doubt

_So a big big thankyou so far to everyone whose read, especially to those people who've commented or added this story to their favourites or subscribed to it, it really means a lot to me. _

_This chapter takes place right at the end of 4x04 and picks up after Merlin has been to see the dragon, enjoy! _

Something had changed. Something was different. She could feel it in the air, in the cool breeze that fluttered gently across her skin, in the whispers of the leaves as they carried stories from one end of the forest to the other. All around her, the night was alive with vibrancy, a pulsating magic that had woken her from her sleep and carried her outside.

But it was not just the forest that had awoken to the unknown call; the feeling was inside of her too. She did not know what it was, this strange feeling, but it was powerful, and it came from magic.

It was as if the world had woken up as this strange new presence entered its domain. She had never felt anything like it, and part of her trembled with the fear of this unknown power.

And somehow, inexplicably, she knew that she was connected to it. This powerful magic that surged all around her was also surging through her body, coursing through her veins to make her feel more alive than she had for a long time.

She wished she had someone to share it with.

Just like that, the overwhelming loneliness of her situation came crashing down around her, a feeling so strong and intense that not even the powerful magic that resonated all around her could block it out.

She was completely, and utterly, alone.

And then a twig snapped, and all of a sudden, she was no longer alone.

Standing still, she cast her senses outwards to determine the source of the noise. Closing her eyes, she listened closely to the sounds of the forest, and heard it again, the soft beating of hooves followed by the gentle snuffle of a horse.

Drawing her dagger, Morgana cocked her head silently to the side, and stealthily crept towards the source of the noise. It was not Agravaine, she was certain of that. If he had come to visit her, he would have come riding straight up, and in any case, she had wandered far away enough from her little home to be sure that Agravaine would not have taken this route in anyway.

So who was riding so quietly through the forest at this time of night?

Heading in an eastward direction, Morgana carefully treaded through the darkened forest, her breathing still and even, her footsteps making no sound against the leaf littered ground. Placing her hand on the crumbling trunk of an old tree, she stepped quietly around its tangled roots, and spotted the mysterious rider up ahead.

She did not recognise him at first. It was a man, sitting tall and strong on his horse, clad in little more than a loose flowing shirt and plain brown riding breaches. His shoulder-length brown hair waved and rippled slightly in the moonlight as he followed some unseen trail in the dark.

Morgana was about to turn away, convinced that he was of no concern to her, when a bright flash of steel caught her eye, and she saw that the unknown rider had not one, but two swords swinging from either one of his hips.

There was only one man she knew of, who carried two swords.

"Stop," she commanded, stepping out into the middle of the trees into a patch of moonlight so that when the rider turned, she was certain he would be able to see her. "Show yourself," she added, watching the man carefully.

"I mean you no harm my lady, I ride in peace," the rider called stopping his horse and swinging the animal's head around to face her, his face remaining a cool mask when he saw who had stopped him.

"Sir Gwaine I believe," Morgana said coyly into the night air, her suspicions about his identity correct.

"Lady Morgana," came the confident response as he gave her a little bow, the act causing Morgana to anger internally as she took it as a sign of mockery, "I do not believe we've had the pleasure of meeting," he finished with a small smile on his lips, his eyes never leaving hers.

"What are you doing out here," Morgana demanded in a loud voice as she decided to go straight to the point, not willing to engage in a montage of trivial court-based greetings that would only waste her time, she had done enough of that in Camelot.

"I could ask you the same thing," Gwaine replied simply, leaning forward on his horse as he flicked his air out of his eyes. "These woods are no place for a lady such as yourself," he added in a charming tone, the smile on his face growing larger.

"I do not see that as any concern of yours," Morgana responded, her eyes narrowing, "if anything, I would have thought that as one of Arthur's knights, you would have relished the opportunity to rid your brave _king_ of one of his most dangerous enemies," she finished, forcing herself to spit out the word king as she faced him whilst internally thinking of a way to prevent any further descent into the banter he was so obviously pushing for, banter, she realised angrily, she had also taken part in.

"Ah but I am not here as one of King Arthur's knights," he answered back, his eyes playfully gleaming as he dismounted his horse, "instead, I come to these woods as a humble man," he continued, showing her his palms as he took note of her increasingly tense body language as she watched him warily, "and like I said earlier, I come in peace," he finished smugly, a large grin now spread widely across his face.

"Once a knight of Camelot, always a knight of Camelot," Morgana answered venomously, her eyes now locked firmly on Gwaine to make sure he did not make any sudden moves, "and do not expect me to believe that you simply decided to come and visit these woods for the sake of it, why are you really here?"

"I just wanted some fresh air and somewhere to ride away from the city," came the infuriating response as Gwaine shrugged his shoulders and looked around, "it really is beautiful here at night," he added, turning his gaze back to hers.

Pursing her lips, Morgana considered his words carefully, and knew straight away that he was not telling her the whole truth, not that she had expected anything less of course. Nevertheless, his being here provided her with a valuable opportunity, one that she intended to take full advantage of.

"And what are you doing out here my lady," he asked cockily, his voice breaking through the cool night air.

"Why the same as you Sir Gwaine," she replied, keeping her voice level and even, "I merely wished to enjoy the _fresh air_," she finished, echoing his earlier response as she lifted her head slightly to look him square in the eyes.

Chuckling softly in response, Gwaine shook his head and smiled, looking away from her into the deep black of the forest.

Cocking her head to the side, Morgana looked at him curiously for a moment, and then decided that she'd had enough of his games and was ready to move on with her own plan.

"Why are you out here?" Morgana repeated, going back to her original question, watching him carefully again with hawk-like eyes.

"I told you, to go for a ride," Gwaine responded, "it really is beautiful out here if you'd just take the time to look," he added, turning to look around him, and that's when Morgana saw it, he wasn't just looking at the surroundings, he was looking through them, as if he was trying to discern if something more was there.

"You're following someone," she said, the statement both a question and a realisation.

The quick snap of his head as he turned to look at her confirmed her thoughts

"Let's see," she said, quickly jumping in to prevent Gwaine's response as he looked at her, a small amount of panic showing on his face, "who could you be following at this time of night?" she asked, taking pleasure in the now defiant look that had crossed his features as he folded his arms across his chest and started to glare at her like an angry child who had been caught out in his game.

"It is highly unlikely that it is some unfortunate maiden who had the misfortune of drawing your gaze," she began in a taunting tone, pausing for a moment to flash a quick smirk at Gwaine before continuing, "and I do not believe that you would concern yourself with Arthur or any of the other knights as they can all take care of themselves and once more, they would have no reason to be riding through the woods at this time of night… so that only leaves Merlin," she finished, turning to look at him for confirmation, relishing in the fact that if she was right, she would have the chance to cause a greater amount of damage tonight than she had first anticipated.

"And why would I be out here following Merlin, he is nothing more than Arthur's servant," Gwaine replied with a hasty laugh, turning to look away in mock pain, "I am hurt that you would think so little of me my Lady," he concluded, the hint of a laugh in his voice as he attempted to cover up the truth.

Sensing his bluff, Morgana took a chance and called him up on the lie, "so you are here following Merlin," she said in a knowing voice, relishing as she once again saw the look of panic flash across his features which confirmed her guess, "he is your friend after all, is he not," she added, carefully choosing her words to draw him in.

"Even if I was following Arthur himself, I wouldn't tell you," Gwaine responded defiantly, all trace of his earlier charm gone, his stiff posture mimicking his defiant tone.

"Come now Gwaine no need to be so defensive, if I had wanted to hurt you, I already would have," Morgana replied soothingly, knowing that she was gaining the upper hand, "like you said, we are both here in peace, I will not harm you nor _Merlin_, tonight," she finished, grinning as she saw him grimace slightly at the serving boy's name.

"What do you want then?" Gwaine asked cautiously, his hand resting slightly on the pommel of his sword as he now watched her warily.

"To let you go in peace and make sure that your _friend_ is alright," Morgana replied sweetly placing emphasis on the work 'friend' as she continued to smile gently at the tense knight.

"Then with your leave, I shall go and resume my search," Gwaine said formally, bowing his head slightly, his eyes never leaving hers.

"As you will Sir Gwaine," Morgana responded equally politely, watching him with a slightly wild gleam in her eyes as he turned to mount his horse.

Taking a small step forward, and then another, she placed her hand gently on Gwaine's quiet mount and looked up at him as he jumped slightly at her sudden closeness.

"A word of advice sir knight," she said in a lowered tone, her voice dripping like honey from her mouth as she grasped a strap running along the horse's chest and tightened her fingers around it as she rose onto her toes to stare up at Gwaine, "whilst they may tell you to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, it is really your friends who you want to keep an eye on, lest something sharp should find your unsuspecting back in the middle of the night," she finished, lowering her heels back down to the ground.

As she turned to step away, Gwaine nudged his horse forward to cut her off, and leaned across his horse to look down at her, "I thank you for your advice my lady, but I assure you, I trust my friends completely, I have no need to watch my back when they are around," he finished, straightening back up in his saddle as he turned his horse's head to leave.

As he rode off into the dark of the woods, Morgana's teasing voice called after him, "that too, is what I thought when I was in Camelot, turns out I was wrong… especially about Merlin"

Gritting his teeth, Gwaine urged his horse into a trot as he attempted to focus on the sounds of his horse whilst blocking out Morgana's teasing words. She was his enemy and she was playing with him, trying to make him question Arthur, Merlin and all those he now trusted with his life. But try as he might, he could not block out the small nagging voice in the back of his head, reminding him that his life was more often than not in danger now with Arthur than it had been before.

But it was not Arthur she'd warned him about, it had been Merlin. Merlin, the one he actually considered to be a true friend, the one that above all others, he was closest to. Shaking his head, he berated himself for even questioning Merlin, whom he was certain would never betray him.

But then, all of Camelot had trusted Morgana, and look how that had turned out for them.

"No," he shouted out loud, slowing his horse to a walk as he looked around, trying to regain his bearings as he realised he had been riding without heed and had lost Merlin's trail completely.

"Seven hells," he cursed loudly, stopping his horse completely as he attempted to figure out just where it was he had ended up now.

For a moment, he considered just forgetting about his duties in Camelot and riding, going wherever he so desired as he once had before his life in Camelot, and then beat himself up internally for allowing himself to think in such a way. He had friends in Camelot, people who cared about him, and he would prove Morgana wrong, he could trust Merlin, he knew he could. The boy might be a tad strange, but he had a good heart, and Gwaine was sure he could trust him with his life.

As if on cue, the crunching of footsteps alerted Gwaine to someone else's presence in the woods, and he swung his horse in the direction of the sound, only to come upon the source of his confusion himself, staring up at him with a similar look of misunderstanding that echoed Gwaine's own feelings about the whole night thus far.

"Gwaine?"

"Merlin"

For a while, neither said anything else, and just stared at each other, their looks of confusion mirroring one another's, but for entirely different reasons, reasons which neither had any desire to share with the other.

"What are you doing out here?" Merlin finally asked, praying that Gwaine had not seen or heard any of his conversation with the Kilgharrah.

"Nothing, I was ah, I was looking for you," Gwaine replied, hoping that Merlin had not seen his strange encounter with Morgana.

"Well you found me then," Merlin answered uncertainly, throwing his heads up awkwardly to the side, "here I am," he added in with a grin as if to confirm his earlier statement.

"There you are," came Gwaine's response as he gestured with his free hand at Merlin.

"Well I guess we should get back to the castle then," Merlin offered, hoping that Gwaine would not go back in the direction that he and come from and accidentally stumble upon Kilgharrah and Aithusa. That was not a scenario he had any desire to explain just yet, not until he at least had had the chance to talk it through with Gaius.

"I guess we should go back to Camelot then?" Merlin suggested, walking hesitantly over to Gwaine.

"Yes, Camelot," Gwaine replied, turning his head to look around him as he peered off into the darkness, "ah, which way is Camelot," he finally said, turning back to look at Merlin, defeat evident in his eyes.

"It's that way," Merlin responded, pointing West to where Camelot lay, hidden by the trees of the surrounding forest.

"Ah yes, of course," Gwaine countered, turning his horse in the direction Merlin was pointing, "I knew that all along, I just wanted to make sure you did in case you went off on any more night adventures and got lost".

"Of course," Merlin answered with a smile, walking over to where Gwaine now was.

"Um Gwaine," he began hesitantly, looking at Gwaine and the horse expectantly.

'What is it Merlin," Gwaine questioned, not catching Merlin's drift.

"The horse," Merlin replied, inclining his head slightly to the right as he waited for Gwaine to pick up the hint. Seeing the look of confusion on the young knight's face, Merlin asked in an inquiring voice, "can I ride back with you?"

"Of course you can," Gwaine answered back in a laugh, sticking his hand out for Merlin to grasp as Merlin realised that Gwaine had been teasing him along.

Grunting slightly, Merlin shook his head in silent laughter as he pulled himself up onto the hindquarters of Gwaine's mount which then proceeded to head off in a steady trot as the two sat silently on the horse.

"So Merlin, what were you doing out here?" Gwaine asked again finally, his teasing voice drifting through the trees.

"Oh ah, you know, orienteering, practicing finding my way back to Camelot and what not," Merlin responded simply, looking around at the dark forest as they rode off.

"If you say so," Gwaine replied, his voice and the sounds of his horse growing faint amongst the trees as Morgana watched the two of them ride off towards Camelot.

Smiling to herself, she stepped out from behind the tree and watched them go, glad that she had seen their little encounter and Gwaine's inability to tell Merlin of his meeting with her. Her plan had gone perfectly, in fact, it had worked out better then she could have anticipated. Doubt, no matter how little, could grow and magnify, and cause even the most devout and loyal follower to question themselves and turn against those they cared about most.

And whilst she knew that Gwaine was not at that stage yet, she had planted that all important seed in his mind. If he began to question Merlin, which would then lead to him questioning Arthur, others would begin to follow his lead, and with Arthur so early on in his reign, it would place him in an unsteady position, one which she intended to take full advantage of.

Smiling happily, she turned, and looked at the spot where that cursed boy Merlin had emerged from. She did not believe his excuse about 'orienteering' for a second, he was hiding something, she was sure of it.

Using her magic to light her way, she found Merlin's tracks, and began to follow them through the dark forest. Keeping her senses sharpened for any sounds, Morgana stilled her breathing and forced herself to make as little noise as possible. Pacing softly through the tall trees that loomed ominously above her, she made her way through the dark, carefully watching the ground for any traces of broken twigs and signs of footprints.

Eventually, she made her way into a grassy clearing devoid of any trees. In the distance, she could make out the highest towers of Camelot, yet that was not what drew her attention.

There was a strange energy about the place, a strong magical presence. It was the same as the one she had felt earlier, she was sure of it. It was as if this clearing was reverberating with it, a powerful magical force that lingered long after its source had left.

What had Merlin been doing here then? Was he somehow involved in all of this?

The questions whirred through Morgana's head as she tried to match up the uncanny serving boy with the powerful magic in the area, how could the two possible be connected? She wondered about the strangeness of it all, and yet, Merlin had been here, his tracks had led her right to this place; somehow, he was involved in all of this.

And then it hit her, Merlin in the past had known where the druids were; he'd told her where to find them and then gone there himself. The boy had an uncanny knowledge of magic; after all, it was he who'd known how to break Morgause's sleeping spell on Camelot.

Yes, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense to her. Merlin knew more about magic then he let on, probably more than what he let Arthur know, a fact she would be sure to keep to herself until she thought of a way to best use it.

If Merlin was somehow involved in all of this, then she swore to herself, she would find out how, and she would use it to destroy him and all those who would persecute her kind. She would bring magic back into Camelot and claim her right to the throne, no matter the cost.

"No matter the cost," she repeated to herself bitterly, thinking how she had already been forced to pay the ultimate sacrifice in having to kill her sister. Now, she had nothing left to lose, and with that harsh truth, she knew it would make it that much easier for her to do what was necessary, to do what she must, in order to avenge her sister's death, and to make sure that Morgause did not die in vain.

Taking one last glance around the still empty clearing, she turned to leave and headed towards her home in the forest.

For better or worse, she began to plan her next move.

_I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'm hoping that I will be able to use Gwaine's 'seed of doubt' in the next episode if Arthur does to something bad like it suggests in the trailer. If anyone felt like any of the characterisations were a bit off, please let me know so that I can work on it for the next chapter. _

_Once again, thankyou for reading thus far and I hope everyone's enjoying my story and the new season of Merlin! _


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